


For Science (and Smooches)

by skyhillian



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, dan started this and i finished it okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 09:12:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15361149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyhillian/pseuds/skyhillian
Summary: “So it’s not weird that I’m almost forty and I’ve never kissed a dude?” Dan asks again once Arin has stopped the recording and written down their stop time.“It’s only weird if you think it’s weird, man.”





	For Science (and Smooches)

“So it’s not weird that I’m almost forty and I’ve never kissed a dude?” Dan asks again once Arin has stopped the recording and written down their stop time.

“It’s only weird if you think it’s weird, man.” Arin hasn’t looked up at him yet–he’s making sure the time card is actually legible. It’s been a problem on the past. Even Arin has trouble reading it sometimes and it’s his own damn handwriting.

“I mean, I don’t think it’s weird, per se,” Dan muses, and Arin finally looks up.

“I hear a big, juicy ‘but’ in there,” he says, and Danny can’t help but giggle.

“I just, I dunno… Kinda wish I hadn’t been so repulsive when I was the right age to experiment,” he says off handedly. The fraying hole on his jeans is suddenly very interesting, and he twists the string with his fingers.

“Why do you think that there’s like, a window for experimentation?”

Dan shrugs, still not looking up. “Cause college age is when you’re supposed to do that shit.”

Arin snorts. “Well I sure missed that boat then. There’s not a stopping point on figuring out what you’re into, dude. Like, some people don’t figure out they’re gay until they’re seventy. You’re not even forty. If you wanna kiss a dude, kiss a dude.”

Dan looks up at Arin, who is watching him with a serious expression. “How would I even go about that? Like, 'Sup, bro, I’m Dan and I wanna kiss you just to try it?’ That’s unbelievably uncool.”

Arin rolls his eyes.“You don’t just walk up to a hot guy and say that. Ask a friend that you know wouldn’t mind. That’s what I did.”

Metaphorical brakes screech in Dan’s head. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, dude. I just asked a bro if we could kiss cause I was curious.” He sounds like he’s talking about borrowing a book. He’s so fucking blasé about it.

“When was this? I knew you’d kissed Chris briefly in Lightsaber Fightsaber…” There’s a weird churning in Danny’s chest, and he hugs their Pikachu pillow to his chest like that’s going to smother it.

“Like… Last year?” Arin scrunches his nose as he tries to figure it out.

“What?” Dan’s voice raises several octaves, and he clears his throat before speaking again. “Does Suzy know?”

The look Arin fixes him with is pretty dirty. “Of course she does. She doesn’t care. She’s got people to kiss too.”

“What?”

Arin leans back against the couch, causing his shirt to ride up over his soft tummy. “You heard me.”

“Who?”

“Who what?”

Dan huffs. “Who did you kiss?”

“Oh. Ross.”

“What?”

Arin rolls his eyes.“Will you pick a new word, dude?”

“Ross? Our Ross?”

Arin looks at Dan. “Yes. Our Ross.” Dan opens and closes his mouth a few times like a fish.

Why didn’t Arin ask him? He’s the only one that’s actually single in their group. Instead of saying that, though, he asks, “Did you like it?”

The embarrassed little smile that crosses Arin’s face says it all. “Yeah. Ross is a good kisser. Dudes are alright.”

Danny looks off into the corner of the room. He’s not jealous. That’s not what that pit in his tummy is, no sir.

Arin can see the change in Dan’s body language as clear as day. He curls in on himself slightly and he begins fidgeting with Pikachu’s ear, not to mention that he won’t look at Arin now.

He doesn’t wanna jump to conclusions, but he feels a bit snubbed. Arin was pretty sure Dan had gotten over what little bit of homophobia he’d had a while ago, but now he’s starting to doubt that.

“Is there a reason you won’t look at me?” Arin asks, tone curt.

“No,” Dan says quietly.

“Then look at me.”

Several beats pass. “No.” Dan knows that of he looks at his friend  he’ll be found out.

“Dan,” Arin says, and his tone is harsh on the edges, unlike anything Dan has ever heard directed at him. “Do you have a problem with this? Because if you do we’re gonna have some problems, too.”

That gets his attention  and he turns to Arin so fast his curls whip him in the face. “What? No!”

“Then what the fuck is the issue?”

Danny chews his thumbnail. He says nothing, which in turn says everything. He can see the grin that spreads across Arin’s face out of the corner of his eye, and he knows that the blush is creeping across his face and towards his ears.

Arin leans in closer. “Are you jealous?”

“No!” Dan answers far too quickly. Arin grins even bigger.

“You’re a shitty liar, you know that?”

Dan wants to chuck Pikachu at Arin’s dumb face. “Why didn’t you ask me?” His voice is quiet.

“Because you’re straight as a fuckin’ arrow, dude,” Arin says matter-of-factly. “I knew you’d giggle nervously and then say no so I skipped the rejection.”

Dan picks at his jeans again. “I might have said yes.”

It’s Arin’s turn to stare incredulously. “Seriously?”

“What part of curious did you miss, dude?” Dan says, and his tone betrays his embarrassment. He covers his face with his hands. “Never mind. Just forget I brought it up at all.”

Once he’s unwrapped himself from his blanket, Dan puts Pikachu down and he gets up. He shouldn’t have said anything about this at all.

He makes the mistake of walking past Arin, however, and the younger man grabs his wrist. His skin tingles at the contact, and Dan yanks his hand, but he doesn’t put any real effort into it.

“I’m sorry if I said something that upset you,” Arin says. “I’m not judging you for anything, Dan. Sit back down. Please?”

Dan wants to keep walking, out of the room and out of the space and out of this topic, but his body betrays him and he sits down next to Arin. There’s a hot ball of something akin to shame sitting in his chest, and he wants to claw it out.

“How long have you been curious about this?” Arin asks.

Dan shrugs. “A while.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“…Six years or so.”

Arin can’t believe what he’s hearing. Six years ago Dan was the most 'no homo’ person he knew, but now that he thinks about it, that makes sense…

“Did you have anyone in mind or is it just straight up curiosity?” Arin turns to face Dan, curling his legs underneath himself. He rests his elbow on the back of the couch before resting his cheek against his fist.

Dan’s brain shorts out. Don’t say you, don’t say you, don’t say you.

“General curiosity,” he says with a noncommittal shrug.

Arin purses his lips, and several beats of silence pass. He exhales slowly.

“You could kiss me if you want.”

If Dan had been holding something, he would have dropped it. “What about Suzy?” he asks. He’s half hoping he can weasel his way out of this because he’s honestly afraid he’s going to like it a little too much. He’s found Arin to be incredibly attractive for quite some time. He loves the man, yes, but not like that. He’s just very much attracted to the younger man.

He wouldn’t be surprised in the least if he got addicted to Arin’s kisses.

Arin shrugs. “What about her? She’s actually on a date with her girlfriend right now, so that would be awfully hypocritical if she wasn’t okay with me giving you some smoochin.’”

Well. That’s unexpected news.

He doesn’t wanna say that he doesn’t want to because that would be a downright lie and Arin knows when he’s lying.

“If you’re sure,” Dan says, nervous.

Arin smiles brightly. “I’m sure as shit, man.”

Danny wrinkles his nose. “What a charmer.”

He fiddles with the hem of his shirt for a moment. The couch dips closer to him, and when he looks up his breath catches in his throat.

Arin is inches from him. He glances down at Dan’s lips before meeting the older man’s eyes again. “I’m gonna kiss you now, okay?”

Danny gives a shaky nod, and Arin cups the side of his neck. His hand is warm, but goosebumps race up Dan’s arms. He closes his eyes and holds his breath.

After what feels like an eternity, the bristle of Arin’s facial hair tickles Dan’s skin, followed immediately by the softness of Arin’s lips against his own.

Dan’s face flushes with heat, and he exhales shakily through his nose. When they part, Dan licks his lips. Arin is giving him a cheeky grin.

“So?”

Danny brushes his fingers along Arin’s mustache. “Your beard tickles a little.” He bites his lip. “I might need to try again. Y'know, for science.”

Arin giggles, and he kisses Dan again. “What’s your hypothesis?”

“That I’ll be in a spectacular mood if you keep kissing me.” Dan grins.

“Well, we should test that then. For science,” Arin agrees.

 


End file.
